x user

The situation: I'm a primary applicant working on H1B in the USA. I have wife and she
has adopted a daughter. They are both now living in their home country. Formally I'm
not an adoptive father of the child.

We applied for Canadian Immigration visa having all three people included in an
application (myself, my wife and her child).

Provided we are issued landing papers we are going to proceed like this:

I land first, then go and meet with my family, then we all come to Canada and they
land formally.

The question: after I land but before they do - am I allowed by Canadian law to
become a formal adoptive father of the child that is included in an application? I
believe this question has two sides: do immigration authorities allow this and do
Canadian authorities, dealing with adoption, allow this?

Thanks.

P.S. Reason for doing it this way: the formal procedure of becoming adoptive
father is MUCH cheaper and faster in their home country than in Canada. Also
I do not have a reentry visa to the USA so that as soon as I leave - there is
a good chance that I will not be able to come back and I do not want to take
my chances.